Community

WestJustice

Poverty is not destiny, yet we know that many young people born into disadvantage and poverty are more likely to experience poor health, disrupted education, lower employment prospects, mental health and addiction issues, homelessness, legal problems, financial illiteracy and family relationship breakdown. This is further exacerbated when children are placed into out of home care. Over the years, WEstjustice has worked extensively with vulnerable young people through imbedded 'outreach' legal services delivered where young people live, learn, work and socialise.

The organisation has developed long standing partnerships with youth organisations, schools and hubs to ensure that secure relationships of trust are developed through reliable and comprehensive legal services delivery models. This 2-year project aims to capitalise on these longstanding partnerships and offer comprehensive legal services to children in care and custody. Currently legal services available to these young people are very limited and predominately criminal law centric. WEstJustice will provide more comprehensive services which include child protection, employment, debts, fines, housing, and criminal law. They will do this in collaboration with youth, health and wellbeing services.